The junta’s latest attempt to auction the Yangon home of imprisoned civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi failed again.
The historic family property at No. 54, University Avenue Road in Bahan Township, was put up for auction for the second time on Thursday.
Bidding for the former state counselor’s residence started at 300 billion kyats (about US$ 92 million), but not a single bid was received.
The first auction, on March 20, also failed to attract bidders. Its floor price was 315 billion kyats.
The auction came after the junta-controlled Supreme Court ruled in favor of the democracy icon’s estranged older brother, U Aung San Oo, who had demanded that the residence be auctioned off and the proceeds shared.
The home has been at the center of an ownership dispute between Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and U Aung San Oo, a US citizen based in California.
After the first auction failed, he requested a reduction in the floor price through the court.
The 1.9 acre property on the edge of Inya Lake was given to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s mother, Daw Khin Kyi, by the government in 1947, following the assassination of her husband, independence hero General Aung San. Daw Khin Kyi lived in the home until her death in 1988.
Her daughter served three terms of house arrest, spanning 15 years between 1989 and 2010, as a prisoner of previous juntas.
Under the previous regime of Senior General Than Shwe thousands of people frequently gathered at the residence’s gate to hear Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speak about democracy, human rights, and free speech. After her release from house arrest, she welcomed global leaders and dignitaries to the home she had been imprisoned in, including former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former US President Barack Obama, in 2011 and 2012 respectively.
The civilian National Unity Government declared the residence a national cultural heritage site in September 2022. It has warned that anyone seeking to purchase, sell, destroy, alter, or otherwise use the property will face legal action. The civilian government was formed after the Feb. 1, 2021 coup. It comprises elected lawmakers and allied leaders of ethnic groups.
